Building Intergenerational Relationships

Great KIDS make Great COMMUNITIES provides a number of services to assist those wishing to infuse existing programming with intergenerational concepts or working to develop new programs that are intentionally intergenerational:

Resources and workshops on Building Intergenerational Relationships in both community and faith-based settings

On-going guidance and support to individual agencies or groups on integrating intergenerational practices within the context of their programming

A resource library of material on building intergenerational relationships and other positive youth development topics

Most training and resources are offered free of charge. Contact us for more information or to schedule a training for your community or faith-based organization.

Do young people really need meaningful relationships with adults?

Everyone seems to agree that “relationships matter.” But what is it about relationships that matter? Why are some relationships transformative for young people’s development and success, while others seem to have little if any impact? Across the past two decades, Search Institute and others have shown that the number and intensity of high quality relationships in young people’s lives is linked to a broad range of positive outcomes, including increased student engagement, improved academic motivation, better grades, higher aspirations for the future, civic engagement, more frequent participation in college-preparatory classes and activities, and a variety of other individual outcomes. We also know that high-quality relationships are characterized as caring, supportive, meaningful, reciprocal, and resulting in young people’s sense of agency, belonging, and competence.

“Grading Grown-ups,” a study done by Search Institute and Lutheran Brotherhood in 2002, revealed that most young people and most adults in the United States feel that it’s important for the generations to connect. However, positive youth-adult relationships aren’t happening as often as they could. The report showed that, although adults know what they should provide for young people, few adults report that they actually do these things.

For instance:

80% of adults report that it is important to teach shared valuesto young people, but only 45% report taking action.

75% of adults report that it is important to have meaningful conversationswith young people, but only 34% report actually engaging young people in meaningful conversations.

60% of adults report that it is important to share religious beliefswith young people, while only 35% are doing this.

77% of adults report that it is important to teach respect for cultural differencesto young people, but only 36% actually do it.

76% of adults report that it is important to guide decision makingin young people, while only 41% report acting on this belief.